You Oughta' Know Me
by Tiffypie
Summary: "I guess," she muttered in response. She was just glad to stay home, even happier now that her best friend was there to chill with her. Relationships were overrated, and she didn't need a boyfriend to be happy. That's why she had friends, specifically Riley. And here he was, making her happy.
1. C'mon, Mo

"_Until you know who you want, don't fucking talk to me." _

That's what he had said to her the last time they were together. It was on a Friday, just after school in the parking lot. They were just talking, making their way to his car. But then, their talking turned into arguing..and before she knew it, her hair was blowing in the wind as he sped off in his car, without her.

It was clear that he was done. He was done with her, done playing her so called "games" that he didn't have the cheat codes to. He was done putting in so much effort, when she wasn't even putting in _half_ as much, he had said. But, that wasn't really the case. She was the carrier of the relationship, and he just wanted to fuck up things between them so he could go play with some other girls.

"Would you quit moping around here like that Mo? You're starting to make my apple juice sour," her older brother, Kaden, complained as he walked by.

Monique huffed at that, rolling her eyes as she slouched deeper into the leather couch. She could always count on her brother to make things worse. "Mind yo' business," she snapped at him simply, clearly not in the mood to bicker with her sibling. Kaden rolled his eyes, but then reluctantly sat on the family couch beside her, his cup in his hand.

"Y'know, if that kid really means a lot to you, just do something about it. There's no point in sitting here at home…as if you're waiting on something to change," he said, quirking an eyebrow at her. Monique puffed out some more air in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. As if her obnoxious brother knew anything about relationships.

"Didn't I tell you to mind yo' business?" she grumbled again. Kaden could only scoff at her stubbornness. But he knew all too well, never mess with her when she was in a mood. _Especially _if it was over a guy. He sighed, hanging his head in defeat as he stood up from the couch. He hated to see her upset, but what could he do? Sometimes you just have to let girls figure shit out on their own.

Monique watched irritably as her brother left the living room. When he was out of sight, she sat up, pulling out her phone from her pocket and turning it on. She frowned when there were no new text messages or calls waiting in her inbox. This never happened. Every time they got in an argument or disagreement, he would always call her afterwards, saying that he was sorry and that they should make up. But, not this time. What was so different this time?

Her mother walked in. "You still worryin' about that Ricky-boy? I always thought you'd end up with the one with the cornrows, y'know? He's cuter if you ask me," Mrs. Rafter said, giving her daughter a playful wink. Monique withheld the urge to roll her eyes, giving a small smile instead to her mother.

"Mom, that's the problem. He's been having random mood swings with me lately. Like, I'm the bad guy.." she said weakly. Her mother stood for a second, cupping her chin in a thinking way.

"Well, maybe you are the bad guy."

Monique looked at her mother with wide disbelieving eyes. "Hey! This is when you tell me that I'm wrong…that it's not my fault and to just follow my heart-"

"Sweetheart, that only happens in movies," her mother confirmed, furrowing her brows at her overly-dramatic daughter.

She considered this. "Okay, maybe this is one big movie then. Like, I'm not actually pouring out my feelings to my mother, and I'm not making my brother's apple juice sour with my mood, and-"

"Sour apple juice?" her mother interrupted.

Monique scoffed. "That's not the point! The point is that maybe none of this is real. It's all an illusion, and I'll wake up any moment now.." She said hopefully. "Pinch me." She stuck her arm out to her 'imaginary' mother and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mother just stared at the limb nonchalantly.

"Teenagers these days.." she mumbled with a roll of her eyes, reluctantly pinching her daughter's arm.

Monique opened her eyes, only to frown in disappointment. She was still there.

She furrowed her brows, groaning into her hands. "Why is reality so upsetting-"

The doorbell ringed.

"Ooo, I wonder who that could be!" Mrs. Rafter chirped, already springing up from the couch to answer the door. Monique stared at the door anxiously, wanting to know herself-

It was Riley.

"Well, hello there Riley! It's nice seeing you again," her mother said as she smiled at the Freeman boy, glancing behind him to see if his afro-headed brother was present also.

"Hey Mrs. Rafter," Riley said back, though his eyes were already trained on the grumpy girl who was sprawled out on the couch in the living room. "I was just wondering if it was alright if Mo and I-"

Her mother didn't even give him a chance to finish. "Of course, _take her!_ She's been moping around her like an abandoned sack of potatos, ya' hear? Take her out, would you?" she said happily, a little relieved that her daughter was finally getting out of the house.

"_Ugh_..Mom," Mo mumbled irritably, a little embarrassed that she was telling her business like that. Kaden walked back in, his once filled cup now empty. He stopped short when he saw the Freeman boy at the door.

"Oh thank god!" he exclaimed, practically giving Riley the biggest bro-hug in history. "Yo' ass is right on time nigga! Do you know how annoying her grumpy ass was? I was beginning to feel like _I _was the one who got dumped, not her!" he continued, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Boy, watch yo' mouth," Mrs. Rafter scolded.

Riley chuckled. "I know, I know. That's why her ride or die Reezy here," he said arrogantly, giving Monique a playful grin. She rolled her eyes, fighting the threatening smile that tugged at her lips.

Her mother looked from Riley to her. "Girl, why are you still laying there?! Getcha' skinny butt up, change out of them pajamas, and go put on something nice for your date with this nice gentlemen here!" she demanded. Monique frowned then, as Riley's grin grew even wider. Why did her mother love that Freeman boy so much? It was exhausting.

Mo dragged herself off the couch, slipping on her bunny slippers, and started to trudge out of the living room lazily. It was only about a week ago when Ricky kicked her to the curb, claiming that he had enough of her hanging with Riley behind his back. But, Riley was her best friend…so what was she supposed to do? Stop hanging with Riley? Pshh, hell no. That nigga was tripping. And it didn't seem to bother Riley that her relationship with Ricky was failing because of him. He actually seemed to be embracing it, happy that he was scaring off the son-of-a-bitch from his homie Monique.

And now that Riley's here again, just proves his loyalty.

Mo left the living room, drowning out the happy conversation between her mother, brother, and best friend, focusing more on getting dressed for an occasion that wasn't her choosing. Stepping into the bathroom, she turned the shower water on, sticking her hand out under the running water to make sure it was just the right temperature.

_She eventually allowed the warm water to consume her…_

* * *

><p>It wasn't a surprise when Monique met Huey in the driver's seat, looking impatient as always. Riley didn't have a license, so it wasn't surprising to find his brother escorting them around town. Probably against his will, because their granddad was really big when it came to his grandsons going on dates, always butting in their love lives.<p>

"Sup Huey," the light skinned girl said as she slipped into the backseat, Riley climbing in after her. Huey just groaned, rolling her eyes at her in utter annoyance. Monique frowned. He never did like her for some reason, ever since they first met in the second grade, while Riley was a grade below them.

The Freeman boy was just as quiet back then as he was now, often being bugged by the frilly little Dubois girl who lived across the street from them. While on the other hand, Monique would always be hanging with Riley and his neighborhood friends, such as Cindy McPhearson, the blond tomboy on the block that loved to hit up the basketball court. Elementary school was a blur, but, it always seemed like Riley was right there with her every step of the way. And that's what he's doing now, still by her side.

"Alright Riley, make this quit. I have to get home and study for our exams next week and I can't be driving both of you around all night," Huey said, ignoring Monique's greeting and warning his brother.

Riley sucked his teeth. "Man, Granddad said to drive us around until we got tired, so don't go frontin' on me now nigga. Plus, I just wanna do somethin' nice for my homegirl because her bitch ass ex-boyfriend dumped her, and I don't need-"

"_Riley_," Huey growled, glaring at his brother in the rearview mirror. Riley went quiet, sucking his teeth and slouching in his seat. He just hated when his brother acted like a jackass sometimes, often lecturing about studying for classes and whatnot, but it was okay to blow off studying when his girlfriend Jazmine was involved? _Un-fucking-believable,_ Riley thought grumpily.

Monique sighed. She was used to the Freeman brothers arguing about stuff, mostly about silly things such as who could use the car on certain days and who took the longest time in the bathroom on rushed school mornings. She was definitely used to this.

"Its fine Riley," she said then, poking his arm lightly and giving him a smile. She always found him cute when he had that silly little pouty face he always made when he was upset. It was adorable to her, like, even more adorable than a uni-kitten…if that makes any sense.

"Alright, where to first?" Huey asked then. Riley brightened up a little, thinking.

"Hold up.." Monique said, cutting them short. She had just gotten an idea. "How about we just chill here at my crib Riley? That way, Huey can go home and study, and I can change into my pajamas and be lazy-"

"Alright, great idea," Huey instantly said, a little thankful towards Mo. "Hurry up and get out before you change your mind," he said anxiously. Riley nudged Mo in the ribs a little roughly.

"Nigga, the point was to get you out the house!"

"At least I have you though, right?"

"Oh for god's sake, get out!" Huey said hotly, beeping the car horn and everything. He was really serious about this whole studying for exams thing, and he didn't want to stick around for the gushy-mushy best friend talk.

Riley and Monique rolled their eyes at his impatience, before stepping back out of the car and closing the door behind them. Just as the door was fully shut, Huey and the car took off down the street like he was heading to a fire.

"Well..damn. A nigga could've said bye at least," Mo muttered, looking after the car grumpily.

"Eh, you know his ass uptight," Riley said with a shrug.

They walked back to the front door, only to have Mrs. Rafter pull it back open as soon as Riley reached for the doorbell. They were taken aback. "Mom, where you watching us?!" Monique exclaimed, feeling her embarrassment rushing back. Riley scrunched up his brows, wanting to ask the same thing.

"Well..yeah sweetie! It's been forever since you went out with any of your friends..and I was just so excited for you!" her mother said happily, opening the door wider for them to come in. "Why are you guys still here?"

"Oh, Mo decided to just stay here and chill, so my brother-"Riley started.

"Oh wonderful! I'll go make you guys some snacks!" Mrs. Rafter chirped excitedly, already whisking off to the kitchen before Riley could finish his sentence. Riley just watched her run off, while Mo face-palmed herself. Her mother was _soo_ embarrassing.

"Yo' ma nice, even though she be doing _the most_ sometimes," Riley said as the two of them headed upstairs, Monique trailing behind.

"I guess," she muttered in response. She was just glad to stay home, even happier now that her best friend was there to chill with her. Relationships were overrated, and she didn't need a boyfriend to be happy. That's why she had friends, _specifically_ Riley. And here he was, making her happy.

They entered her room, Riley automatically taking the beanbag chair in the corner, his favorite spot. "So, a movie then?" Mo asked, walking over to her shelf full of DVDs. Riley shrugged.

"Yo' ass got anything good?"

"Hmm..Baggage Claim..Think Like a Man-"

"The fuck? I don't wanna watch no romantic comedy!" Riley said, scrunching up his face in disgust. Monique could only laugh. She was just teasing him, knowing that he couldn't stand romantic comedies, though she liked to watch them from time to time.

"Action movie, then?"

"Action."


	2. Snickerdoodles and Blue Lemonade

It was only forty-five minutes into the movie they settled on watching, _The Dark Night Rises,_ since Mo was a huge nerd for loving superheroes, and the scene in her room was…fascinating?

The teenage girl lay sprawled out on the floor, her mess of brown curls seeming to cover half her face, calm breaths signaling that she was sleeping. Riley laid a few feet away from her, still occupying the beanbag chair, his face buried in the cushion as he snored. The popcorn bowl that Mrs. Rafter brought was left abandoned between them, empty and upside down with a couple of stray cornels decorating the floor. The teens weren't watching the movie, more like the movie was watching them.

Mrs. Rafter peeped in the room quietly, a warm smile crossing her lips as she found the knocked out best friends, looking innocent as ever.

This always happened. They would pick a movie, eat a bowl of popcorn while laughing about silly things, and then eventually fall asleep. Once they even fell asleep together, Mo in Riley's arms, both of them cuddling innocently in their sleep. But, they dismissed the thing ever happening, a little bashful and shy with each other when the topic came up.

Mo's mother looked at the TV, her smile growing wider when she noticed the movie was still on. _They're too cute,_ she thought rather motherly, before lightly closing the door back in its place. It made a silent click, as she quietly tip-toed away from the room to pursue some of her other activities that mothers usually do.

Monique stirred on her spot on the floor, turning her head so that her hair brushed out of her petite face. She opened one hazel eye, looking around her room curiously. Then opened the other after realizing her current situation. The TV was still bright and running, Batman's husky voice registering from the film. Mo looked from the screen, focusing more on the cornrow-headed boy who laid a few inches away on the beanbag chair. His short cute snores made her smile a little.

"Riley," she said, reaching over to poke his arm.

His socked foot twitched. "What…I thought we settled on yo' ass calling me Reezy," he said sleepily.

The girl giggled at that. He always insisted on her calling him Reezy, but _Riley_ seemed more mellow-sounding to her. "Just get up, silly," she said, giving a yawn of her own. Riley slowly lifted his face from the cushion, frowning at her.

"Why you always gotta wake a nigga up," he groaned, rolling his eyes. Monique shrugged with a light smile, clearly not giving a care in the world about her friend's sleeping hours.

"Why you always gotta _keep_ a nigga up," she countered, raising her thin eyebrows in a mocking way. Riley considered this, scrunching up his nose.

"Huh? I don't keep you up."

"So you don't sometimes text me in the middle of the night?" she asked sarcastically, knowing the answer all too well.

Riley rolled his wine eyes again. "That's different nigga," he said, fully sitting up now to look at her. "And it don't be in the middle of the night-"

"_2 am,_ to be more exact," Mo cut in with a smirk. Riley's frown deepened, only to be replaced with a smirk of his own. She's just now realizing that she was his 2 am thoughts? He would sometimes wake up thinking about her, wondering if she was doing the same. Probably not, though.

"Funny, _real_ funny," He commented, sarcasm drenching his playful tone. He found it cute when the girl tried to tease him, but she and everyone knew that he was the master of teasing. "It's also funny how you text me back every time though—real quick too, like yo' ass been waiting on it," he continued, his natural smirk widening.

Monique rolled her pretty little hazel eyes. "No, I don't be waiting on yo' texts Reezy-"

"_Reezy?_ Oh, thought you was too cute to call me that," Riley cut in, loving her attention.

Mo could only groan in defeat, knowing that she had lost this round. "Aight, you got me," she said with a grin. "You're the master of teasing," this with a hint of sarcasm.

"Ain't it the truth," Riley agreed happily. He loved these stupid silly moments between them. Especially when they were alone, valuing each other's company. It had been this way for the longest, with her chilling at his house, or him just coming over to chill here. It was perfect. Monique got up to sit on her bed, absentmindedly pulling out a scrunchy to messily pin her hair up out of her face. Riley watched her tame her massive brown curls, his wine eyes seeming to stare in fascination. She was so pretty, such a sight could make him go quiet with wonder. Monique glanced at him puzzlingly as she pulled her curls into a ponytail. "Is there a reason why you're looking at me like that?"

Riley blinked back into focus, his cheeks seeming to warm up. She always seemed to catch him staring. He decided to cover it up. "Uh my bad, you just had some lent in your hair," he said weakly, reaching forward to brush the imaginary piece of lent out. "There, it's gone now." Mo stared at him, her eyes seeming to see right through him. She scratched her head.

"Okay then, you wanna finish watching the movie?" she asked, patting the spot next to her on the mattress. Riley glanced at the TV screen before looking at his watch, before finally looking back to her.

"Actually, Huey's lame ass should be here any moment."

"What? It hasn't even been an hour yet."

She gave him her signature pouty face, sticking her bottom lip out childishly. Riley just loved that look, and she knew it too, often using it against him. She didn't want him to leave so soon. It wasn't a school night after it all, the fact that it was only Saturday afternoon. And plus, since when was Riley big on keeping time? "You got somewhere to be?" she asked.

Riley gave in to her mellow voice. "Nah, just here with my nigga," he said, giving a Kool-Aid smile as he sat back down, this time right next to her. It felt good to be next to her, the heat radiating between them as their backs lined up side by side. Monique felt smaller next to him, him being so much taller than she was by a mile. Well, she was only 5'9 while he was a solid 6'0, but it felt like a mile.

The Freeman wondered if she was still thinking about her bad break-up. He desperately wanted to know if the girl still had feelings for the jerk, but that was the whole point of him being here, to distract her from the hurt like any good best friend would do. "What's on your mind?" he asked then, wanting to know for sure as they both stared at the TV screen.

Mo scratched her arm. "Why is Bruce Wayne so sexy in a suit?" she said, raising an eyebrow at her own question. Riley rolled his eyes at that girl, a small smile crossing his face. _She always did love her Batman._ "Whatchu thinkin' bout?" he heard her continue.

"Uhm," he started, searching for something else to say. He looked down at their socked feet. "Why do you always wear mix-matched socks?" he said, looking at the colorful ones her feet sported. Mo wrinkled her nose, turning to look at him.

"You're really thinking about my socks?" she said, a little confused.

Riley sighed, his smile seeming to widen. "I mean, they're colorful, so yeah."

Mrs. Rafter peeked her head back in then. "Oh good, ya'll are awake." She noted how they somehow migrated from the floor and onto Mo's bed. "Wanna snack? I made snickerdoodles and lemonade!" The two of them turned to look at her, their ears perking up.

"Is the lemonade pink?" Mo asked, loving the thought of her drink being her favorite color.

"It's blue, sweetheart."

Riley gave her a puzzled look. "Blue lemonade? Where they make that at?"

Mo giggled, shrugging. "That's my mom for you."

* * *

><p>It wasn't before long when the kitchen was completely drained of snickerdoodles and blue lemonade, the blue food dye staining the teens' tongues like certain candy would do. Riley found himself tapping his fingers lightly on the table, watching the beauty in front of him scribble something down on a notepad.<p>

"There," she said, holding up the pad to show what she had written. "This marks the day where I got over my ex, and moved on with friendship with my dear friend Riley," she announced, beaming at him from behind the book. Riley noted the word _friendship, _then dismissed it.

"Your dear friend, _Reezy_," he corrected, a smirk playing on his lips.

Mo rolled her eyes, scratching _Riley_ out and scribbling _Reezy_ above it. "Gosh, you're sickening sometimes," she mumbled.

"All the time," Riley commented.

"Imma frame this" the girl said, staring at the pad proudly. She always had a thing for making things official. Riley snorted, raising an eyebrow, which ironically was something his older brother did a lot.

"Yep, sounds like a plan," Monique continued, nodding her head. She placed the notebook back on the table. They had been sitting there in the kitchen for a while, both of them sitting in highchairs so that their feet dangled in the air. Riley noticed how her foot lightly tapped the bass of his chair as she swung it back and forth, her hazel eyes trained on the kitchen floor below her. It was peaceful, like always.

Mrs. Rafter had been in her room, watching some marathon on a show that neither of the teens ever heard of. But, eventually, they could hear the light snores coming from her room, signaling that she had fallen asleep.

Riley tapped his fingers against the edge of the table a little faster, the silence starting to make him squirm. Monique played with the hem of her sleeve, pulling a stray thread carelessly. Riley looked over her face, recognizing the familiar way she bit her bottom lip, showing a little of her pretty white teeth. He smirked at that.

Monique finally looked back up at him, hazel meeting wine. There he was, staring at her again. "What Riley?" she demanded, loathing the devilish smirk on his mug. She furrowed her brows at the boy, wanting an answer for his rude staring. Riley shifted in his seat, keeping his eyes on her.

"I can't look at a pretty face?" he questioned innocently, but his smirk grew wider. Mo frowned, before twisting her mouth to the side. She honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Mostly because it was the first time he really called her pretty, to her face, for only her to hear. What exactly is happening?

Then Riley wrapped his feet around the base of her chair, putting one hand on the frame to pull her closer. It was easy, since she was so light. Her eyes widened at the sudden movement, taken aback by how close she was to him again. It was his job to distract her for the day, and she had to admit that he was doing a _hell_ of a good job.

He then lifted a hand to brush a stray curl out of her face that failed to stay secure in the ponytail, peeling it behind her pierced ear. He noticed the way she shivered a little under his touch. Why was he acting this way with her? Since when was she so easy to touch?

Riley lingered on the thought.

Ever since she was available. That's when.

She was finally free. Free for him to have, and take, and hold. But, that didn't make sense either, the fact of them being best friends and he was feeling this way. He swore himself for ever touching her. She was supposed to be his friend, and nothing more. Riley pulled his hand away, the smirk on his face fading.

Mo noticed the sudden change in his attitude, wondering what the hell was going on in his head. The warm feeling of his fingers lightly brushing her cheek was comforting, but now it was gone, just as quickly as it was there. She longed for it a little. "Why'd you stop?"

Riley looked at his hands, playing with his fingers as if nothing happened. "Oh, um, it just didn't seem right," he said. But really, he was hoping she'd disagree.

The girl gave him a puzzling look. They were already so close, so why not finish what you started? She grabbed his hand softly, lightly tracing it. The warmth was there again. Riley raised his brows, his thuggish heart fluttering. He watched as she flipped it, exposing his light palm, and tracing the lines. He gave a tiny smile, the ticklish feeling lifting his spirits.

Then she looked up at him again, hazel meeting wine for the _umpteenth_ time that day. The smile on his lips reflected to her face. She truly was beautiful, poofy hair, dash of freckles, and all. Riley just about lost it when he noticed her leaning in, closing the already narrow space between them. Her plush pink lips locked to his lightly, and he could feel the tingle crawl up his back. Her hand dropped his, deciding to rest on the crook of his neck instead. _Another tingle. _

"Uhm, what the hell?" Kaden said, walking up on them out of nowhere like he was sort of cop. "Fuck ya'll doing?"

Mo released Riley, moving away to glare at her brother. "Nigga, why-"

"Oh, wassup Kaden," Riley greeted nonchalantly.

Kaden looked from Riley to Mo, then back to Riley. "Nigga, _wassup?_ I could ask you the same damn thing," he questioned, gesturing toward his sister. Monique shifted in her seat, blowing out some air.

"Why you always gotta be in my business Kay?" she huffed, crossing her arms. She just hated when he was always sticking his nose in her business, like their mom didn't do that enough already. Shit, that's probably why Ricky left her ass to dry.

"Aye, I'm sorry that I'm _just_ trying to look out for my little sister…but for real? _Riley?_ I thought ya'll was just best-"

"We are," Mo cut in hotly.

"Then what the fuck is this? Yo' tongue practically half way down his throat..and you still wanna say 'we just best friends'?" her brother continued, raising his hands in confusion. He knew he was sweatin' this too much, but like, was he not supposed to say anything? "I just don't wanna see my baby sister hurt again, so I'm just checking."

Riley scratched his head, while Mo wrinkled her nose. She was thankful for her brother's concern, but this was the wrong time to rant about this. It was a new thing between her and Riley that was blossoming, and he just came and made it wither. They sat there in silence, each having the same thought on their minds. _Were they together now or was this just something silly? _


End file.
